A kid friendly, satirical approach to how voting works without being overwhelming or confusing. I enjoyed the premise but decided on three stars because I think it moved a little quickly and skipped some clearer transitional phrases, for example, "They all looked professional and serious. Strange things begin to happen". I had to do a double take a few times to keep up with the pacing.
I did enjoy the illustrations; the animals' facial expressions were well done.
Thank you, Moon+Bird for the advanced copy in exchange for a review.

This picturebook is about the voting process. When the farm animals need to choose a new leader, George Wolf seems the best, he is handsom afterall. But after the election some strange things start to happen, sheep and chickens go missing. The animals are angry and ask George Wolf for help, but he is busy having a banquet… that serves chicken… The book ends with a new election and a fox running for the vote. I think this would be a great book to introduce the democratic process, including looking at what politicians do to earn votes, versus what they should be doing. It also shows that people have the opportunity to vote again and make a better choice at the next election. I love the animal elements, and a few cute little puns or jokes such as the chickens counting the vote (don’t count your chickens before their hatched) and the wolves having to huff and puff when his house is on fire. It is a fun and somewhat silly book that also has some really important ideas and concepts that would be great for classroom discussion. I look forward to grabbing a copy of this book for my classroom library! Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for giving me the chance to read and review this book!

Review Title:
A Thought-Provoking and Darkly Entertaining Satire

Review:
“Vote Wolf” is a clever, sharp, and sometimes unsettling political satire that blends dark humor with eerily relatable themes. The story feels like a modern fable—absurd on the surface, but deeply reflective underneath. The author has created a world that mirrors our own in disturbing and hilarious ways.

The characters are vivid and unique, especially the titular "Wolf," whose rise in politics is both funny and frightening. The writing is crisp, witty, and full of biting commentary about media, public perception, and leadership.

At times, the pacing dips slightly, and some moments feel overly exaggerated—but perhaps that's the point. It leaves you thinking long after you've finished, which is always the sign of a meaningful read.

Recommended for:
Readers who enjoy political satire, dark humor, and social commentary with a surreal twist.

Think Animal Farm in visual with an aim at elections and voting campaigns suitable for any venue, country, or age bracket. Wolf talks the talk and is very convincing, but...
Simple lessons in voting, misinformation, critical thinking, and questioning are clear and useful.
The illustrations by Magali Clavelet are delightful, brilliantly colorful, and fun but get the points across.
Well suited for reading WITH someone of any age including ESL, and great for gifting to everyone, but especially to a school, waiting room, or your local public library! Pub Date Oct 28, 2025
I requested and received a temporary uncorrected galley proof from Moon + Bird | Moon & Bird via NetGalley. ***** #review #goodreads #storygraph #NetGalley @librarythingofficial @waterstones #NetGalley #VoteWolf by by Davide Cali @davidecali_mrblond and illustrated by @magaliclavelet @bookbub #KidsBookstagram #kidlit #picturebooks #childrensbookillustration #forgetting @childrensbookcouncil #bookshop_org #bookshop_org_uk @indigo #elections #votingcampaigns

A timely and age-appropriate parable about voting against your own interests. A wolf runs for leader of the farm, gets elected, and then animals go missing. I wonder who might be to blame?

Note: I received a free copy from NetGalley to review.

If you ever want to know how to deliver an impactful message or razor-sharp commentary in 30 short pages, this is it. This is the book.

It's whip-smart, introspective and surprisingly on point, especially considering I was expecting a light and fun children's book. Which it is, while also nailing the current state of our world. Brilliant and highly recommended!

While I can appreciate the message, I think this will go over the intended audience's head and be somewhat hard to follow.

I have a feeling if a certain orange politician were to hear about this book, it would hit multiple banned book lists. This is about a farm community election on who is going to be there to do what needs to be done. Instead of choosing people that makes sense or have proven they could do the job, the community chose’s the charismatic wolf. The one who might have bad ideas or might have bad history, but is so popular and loved for no reason that they don’t realize they’re being fooled. When bad things start to happen, the community gathers to plan and put that plan into action. But living through a bad experience once, wouldn’t you know it, they line back up to do it a second time. This book is tongue-in-cheek. It’s fun (for me, a diehard liberal) and the illustrations are part of what makes the fun. This is one of those books that will be bought and shared by people who fully understand and agree with it but will iron and wrinkle the conservatives who think they’re being made fun of. And while there is no liberal versus conservative in this and you could even switch our modern politics upside down the message is still the same: flash and awe do not get the job done. I love this book and everything in it and think it should be on every library shelf.

This book does a good job of teaching about the political system and learning about people’s character. When it gets to the end children will find it funny.

I just know my students will love this book! Around election time, we start reading different election themed stories, and I cannot wait to add this one into my rotation of stories. My students love animal stories, especially ones like this one that just pull the reader in and just have them wanting to keep reading. I cannot wait to read this to my students, because I know they will want to hear it over and over.

Vote Wolf is a sharp, funny little book that works best as a conversation starter about politics and critical thinking—especially for older kids. While the publisher recommends it for ages 4–8, I’d say it’s more suited to the upper end of that range (6–8+), as younger readers might miss the satire or the darker undertones.

There are clever nods to Animal Farm that older readers and adults will catch, and it is darkly humorous, rather too much so for a kids book.

The story ends with a cycle repeating itself, suggesting that no matter who we vote for, things may not change. That may resonate with adults, but it’s a pretty heavy takeaway for kids. It doesn’t offer much hope, which feels like a missed opportunity in a book aimed at children.

Magali Clavelet’s illustrations are charming—very Richard Scarry-esque—and add warmth and whimsy to an otherwise sobering message. While I wouldn’t call this a feel-good read, it’s a smart book that could spark some important (and tricky) conversations—just be ready to talk about it after!

Thank you to NetGalley, Moon + Bird, and Davide Cali for this free, advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Vote Wolf will be published October 28, 2025.

Writing Style
Davide Cali has a talent for telling a good (if satirical) tale with a meaningful message.

The humour sprinkled throughout is especially noteworthy. It’s sharp, dry, and clever without being inaccessible to younger readers, and I genuinely found myself smiling as I read the book.

There’s also no condescension here. Children who read this book (or those who have it read to them) will fully understand the message, working it out for themselves without feeling “talked down to”. And what a great idea to use an election amongst farm animals to teach morality!

Illustrations
The illustrations by Magali Clavelet are wonderfully vibrant.
Her artwork complements the satirical tone of the book with vibrant characters and brilliant campaign posters that mimic real-world political campaigns. The visual humour adds another layer of storytelling, helping younger readers follow the plot and catch the subtle jokes.

From Wolf’s sharp suit and sly grin to the expressive faces of the other animals, every detail is wonderfully drawn, filling each page with personality and whimsy.

Final Thoughts
Vote Wolf is more than a children’s book; it’s a charming blend of fun and thoughtfulness. Its clever writing, lively illustrations, and colourful characters make it a terrific addition to any children’s bookcase.

A great conversation starter for older kids about politics and critical thinking with humour. This is a good book.

This book speaks undoubtfully the truth about how the world goes. Great job with the dual address here: children will love the happy ending, and might also find the last page funny and unlikely, while the adults will know better...

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. This is a great book to start to explain politics to children. It shows the importance of thinking critically about the people you vote for and also the power that people can hold when they come together which is awesome for kids to learn about their power.

I've mixed thoughts on this one. I liked the jaunty style of the illustrations in this book, and the intended commentary is something that will provoke some good discussion starters between parents, caregivers and children. However, even after a few reads, the book misses the mark, and I'm not sure that it would fully land with the target audience. I feel that this book is one in which I'd have to do a good bit of explaining to children as we read it; not because they're incapable of understanding the subject matter, but because of the story's pacing and somewhat conflicting messages. Indeed, the general message itself is something that's a little hard to discern. Because of this, I'm unsure of what children would feel about what they're supposed to take away from the book by its end.

There are definite shades of "Animal Farm" here, which adults and some older readers will pick up on. But those parallels aren't explored as well as they could be. This is due in large part to various missed opportunities to add more complexity and nuance into the story. For example, readers never see the impact and efforts of the other candidates' campaigns, and the animals' rejection of their messages in favor of the wold. It's revealing that both of the creatures whom the farm animals are drawn to are undomesticated animals who have a history of preying on livestock, and as such would be instantly recognizable to them, which brings up the question as to why they'd be drawn to them in the first place.


The book's conclusion is realistic in that it shows a very real aspect of human nature. Even though it's frustrating to think about, people (farm animals in this case) often return to the same patterns of behavior that are detrimental to them, even when directly emerging from a scary experience. That's a complex but important subject to broach with kids and get their thoughts about why this might be. But at the same time, the buildup to the conclusion is resolved a little too quickly, perhaps unrealistically, and this is where the conflicting or additional questions come in. Who's to say that George Wolf and his shifty cabinet would automatically leave? What if he refused, particularly with the muscle that he had behind him? Or what would have happened if he decided to come back, especially considering that he's a wolf and therefore a wild animal with no ties to the farm? And who's to say that all of the farm animals actually would join in the effort to oust him; what if there were those who still wanted him to stay in spite of all the disruption and destruction that he caused?

As a side note, I also didn't care for the way that cats in particular were shown as being complicit with the Wolf's presidency, taking part in his cabinet and serving as his enforcers/predators. The illustrations show that the cabinet is mostly made up of cats, even though A.) They are farm animals themselves who contribute to the farm's operations and B.) They and their kittens as a group would also be targets of the Wolf's leadership. Them being ousted and leaving the farm along with all of the other villains doesn't make. I know that it shows up in numerous ways in popular culture, but I'd like to see more youth literature move away from the "cats as mean" and "cats as villains" trope. Satire or not, it reinforces negative ideas about them to children that impact the way they view these animals in real life.


Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Moon + Bird, for this DRC in exchange for a fair and honest review. The thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own.

I felt a sense of dread as I read this book! Very clever and enjoyable read yet also a bit too close to home.
I'll be interested to read with my children to see their take on it.

Children’s fiction is not always limited to children. This satirical insightful story is a cautionary tale for voters who are deceived by the campaign promises of shady candidates. A wolf is a wolf is a wolf and if you’re not careful he will eat you up, not matter what lies he tells to convince you to elect him.

There are discussion points aplenty for parents, teachers and librarians. I can’t help but think of Animal Farm. My recommendation- buy it! The illustrations are terrific too. Five shining stars to author Davide Cali for an important message charmingly presented. . Many thanks to NetGalley and Moon & Bird publishers for an advance copy in exchange for my review. Publication date is October 28, 2025. Reserve your copy now! You’ll be glad you did.

You really can't beat Davide Cali's sense of humour, and his latest has this in bucket fulls. I great dig at democracy and preception overriding truths amidst election fever, Great way to introduce idea of voting to little ones.

Very timely, and a good lesson-without-being-too-obvious about believing actions and not simply words. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for letting me read!